PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: publicrelations@armeniandiocese.org
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April 16, 2010
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The Armenian Church of Nashville To Commemorate 95th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide With Lecture on Gorky

The Armenian Church of Nashville will commemorate the 95th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide at the Laskey Great Hall in the Scarritt-Bennett
Center on April 24 at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Keynote speaker Dr. Kim Theriault, associate professor of Art History,
Theory, and Criticism at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., will
discuss Arshile Gorky and his experience with the Armenian Genocide.

Her recently published book, Rethinking Arshile Gorky, offers new
interpretive insights into Gorky’s work, elaborating upon the themes of
displacement, trauma, and memory, as well as issues of identity,
originality, and mourning.

Sara Cohan, education director of the Genocide Education Project, will
provide a brief history of the Armenian Genocide prior to Dr. Theriault’s
lecture. The program will conclude with a memorial service led by the Rev.
Fr. Tateos Abdalian.

Arshile Gorky, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, was born Vostanig Adoian
in Van, Turkey (historic Armenia). After escaping the Genocide in 1915, he
traveled to Yerevan with his mother and siblings. Following his mother’s
death from starvation, Gorky settled in the United States.

Gorky attempted to hide the trauma he had experienced in his youth, but his
agony was ever present in his art. The series of paintings titled "The
Artist and His Mother" best reflect his struggle with his past.

For more information about the April 24 event, contact Sevada Badalian,
Parish Council chair of the Armenian Church of Nashville (615-975-6813,
vg@vaganoff.com), or Sara Cohan (850-316-0358, saracohan@gmail.com).

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